Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell in an interview by Dana Perino on Fox News ahead of his trip to the Munich Security Conference said: “I'm gonna try to help explain to the American people that defeating the Russians in Ukraine is the single most important event going on in the world right now.”
Here's the full exchange:
SEN. MITCH MCCONNELL: We're listening to the Ukrainians saying they don't have enough ammo. And even our Defense Department is saying we might have to figure out a way to get more funding so that we have enough ammo for ourselves and to give to allies like Ukraine.
What is Biden's responsibility in trying to make sure that people in America whose support for Ukraine is softening will want to continue to try to help them?
Mitch McConnell: Well, I'm going to try to help explain to the American people that defeating the Russians in Ukraine is the single most important event going on in the world right now.
It will save us enormous money down the road if the Ukrainians can succeed. They're not asking for any of our personnel. They're asking us for financial help. The Europeans are stepping up.
They've done an awful lot that seems not to be recognized. For example, handling enormous numbers of refugees. In terms of the cost of it Dana, it's about 0.2% of our gross domestic product. We are also monitoring very carefully the money that's being spent.
There should be bipartisan support for this. My biggest criticism of the President is he seems not to have done enough soon enough. Had he moved more rapidly, we might have been able to help. The Ukrainians have even more success than they've already had.
But it seems like these weapon systems tend to get there a little too late on every occasion.
DANA PERINO: Exactly.
SEN. MITCH MCCONNELL: I'm sorry public opinion is sliding, but I want to reassure the American people that this is enormously important.
We need to stay together on a bipartisan basis in our country and defend these people who are bravely fighting for freedom and for democracy in Ukraine.
